REVIEW: ‘Expats’ Episodes 1–2

Director Lulu Wang stunned with her previous film, the family drama The Farewell starring Awakfina. In her latest television series, Expats, based on the novel The Expatriates by Janice Y.K. Lee, her refinement and artistic expression are still on display. Her technical skill, eye for detail, and inexplicable beauty are superb. Unfortunately, Expats Episodes 1–2 fail to stir up the same emotional pull. Instead, the series suffers from a chilly detachment.

Set in 2014 Hong Kong, Expats Episodes 1–2 introduces us to three American women. Margaret (Nicole Kidman), Hilary (Sarayu Blue), and Mercy’s (Ji-young Yoo) stories all intersect following a sudden family tragedy. The introductory narration hints at that tragic incident immediately. Regarding these incidents where lives are casually cut short and lives imploded, the narrator ponders:

“I want to know about the perpetrators. I want to know about the people who caused the tragedies. People like me. Are they ever forgiven? Do they ever move on?”

The suggestion in Episode 1, which occurs after the life-changing event, is no. People don’t move on. If they do, they’re judged for it, especially women, as we watch Kidman’s Margaret hounded by would-be friends and onlookers, casting their criticism on how she grieves. There’s a ghost sucking the air out of the lungs of Kidman’s Margaret. His name is Gus. Gus is talked about in references and leading statements in the premiere episode. We gather that something terrible happened to him, though we don’t know the actual event until the very end of Episode 2.

Instead, the premiere withholds the information to set the stage for the instability of these characters’ lives. Whispers follow Margaret as partygoers remark that if anything “like that” happened to them, they’d kill themselves. Her husband, Clarke (Brian Tee), in his birthday speech, thanks his friends for attending after such a rough period, closing it out by telling Gus that they miss him wherever they are. Even Hilary’s husband, David (Jack Huston), is directed with ire. Hilary suggests things could’ve been different that night had he not been drinking.

Nobody is happy in Expats. Even Episode 2, which shows the leading moments before the story’s catalyst, indicates that these perfect families and perfect relationships are anything but. Hilary and David say they want to have a baby, but Hilary is making it clear that isn’t the case. Margaret worries about how people see her as a mother and a wife. She wants to separate herself from those two roles and simply be. Mercy has run from New York City to Hong Kong to escape a toxic relationship with her mother. They’re all seeking answers in varying levels of comfort.

It’s why some of the series’ most interesting moments are when the three women interact with one another. There’s a heartwarming sequence in Episode 1 where Hilary comes to Margaret’s rescue, even when it’s been made clear they’ve suffered some definitive falling out post-tragedy. Episode 2 spotlights Mercy and Margaret’s first meeting, the latter displaying a comforting, protective aura that Mercy needs while adrift on a cruise ship, entirely out of her element.

But beyond these interactions and the stellar direction, the series can’t escape its frigid atmosphere. It’s hard to care when so many lead characters exist in a callous world. Despite the open, festering wound at the center of the story, there’s no emotional pull beyond the inherent sadness that comes with the loss of a child. Mercy has the best opportunity to develop into a stronger character. While the others exist in a world of elite privilege, she’s the outlier, the outcast. She is where the story shifts and truly begins as we’re given more information about the inferiority of her life.

Even the performances are lacking spark. Kidman has done the role of a grieving mother well before, but she’s all edges here, even in moments where warmth is necessary. There’s an awkward staccato to the dialogue where it begins to feel more like an indicator of a clunky script rather than a reflection of the performances themselves. Still, it’s another element that improves in Episode 2.

There are a lot of exciting elements in Expats, and it’s an engaging watch, all things considered. But without the direction that explodes in vibrancy and clever frames, the series would be forgettable. This is especially highlighted in the last scenes of Episode 2, as we see consecutive shots of the same street relayed one after another. Each shot depicts varying levels of bustle and density as people move and gather through the Night Market. Without dialogue, the picture conveys the enormous undertaking of finding one small person in such a place. Of how easy it would be for a child to become lost in the crowd after letting go of a babysitter’s hand.

Expats Episodes 1-2 are visually gorgeous undertakings. That said, there’s no connection to these characters. Without that attachment, that tether to keep us grounded in this story, we can float away. For a story anchored in grief and the interconnected nature of women’s lives and class discrepancies, there’s an unfortunate lack of energy.

Expats Episodes 1–2 are available now on Prime Video.